INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN DAY CELEBRATIONS
The world’s mountains are in danger and we are responsible for it. Increasing urbanisation,
population growth, climate change issues and random development efforts are
endangering the mountains and the very existence of flora, fauna and mankind. The Indian
Himalayan Region (IHR) is amongst the most vulnerable mountain systems of the world.
The issues of this region are varied: habitat loss, fragmentation of landscape, poaching,
uncontrolled and unsustainable tourism, over-consumption of non-renewable resources,
ecologically harmful developmental activities, food insecurity, loss of traditional land-use
systems, changes in seasonal characteristics, livestock health and grazing patterns, danger
of extinction of locale-specific flora and fauna, loss of livelihood, migration of labour,
poverty, disintegration of local culture and lifestyle, natural disasters and so on. And
unfortunately, it is those who contribute least to climate change issues that suffer the most
for it.
Sensing the need to educate and sensitize the global population to the perils faced by the
world’s mountains and mountain communities, the United Nations General Assembly, with
the aim of raising awareness and triggering action on issues relating to sustainable
mountain development, declared the year 2002 “The International Year of Mountains”. As
the year drew to a close the UN designated December 11 as International Mountain Day
and encouraged the international community to organize events to highlight the
importance of sustainable mountain development on this date. International Mountain Day
was first observed on December 11, 2003. Each year International Mountain Day has a
particular theme. Previous themes have focused on freshwater, peace, biodiversity and
climate change. The theme of this year’s IMD was Mountains and Forests. The aim of IMD
2011 was to “raise awareness about the relevance of mountain forests and the role they
play within a Green Economy as well as in climate change adaptation measures”
(http://www.fao.org/mnts/en/).
Mountains are a part of the lives of millions of children in India. The mountains are their
shelter, teacher, protector and friend. Thus, it is important for children in the IHR to
recognise the danger that their surroundings are in. It is also important for them to
understand their role in preserving the mountains and ecology of the region. It is generally
believed that educating a child leads to the education of a family. This means that educating
a child in sustainable thoughts and actions will lead to valuable education of his/her family
and friends. Recognising immense potential in the inculcation of ‘green’ ideas and habits in
the nation’s younger generation, the Centre for Environment Education CEE launched the
Paryavaran Mitra program, the largest school program in the world, in 2010.
Paryavaran Mitra or ‘friend of the environment’ is a sustainability and climate change
education project aimed at sensitising children to issues of environmental degradation and
involving them in the struggle to save our planet. Paryavaran Mitra is a nationwide
initiative to directly transform 2 crore students (200,000 schools * 100 students per
school) into Paryavran Mitra through participation in curricular and co-curricular activities
and projects.These children will, in turn, influence their siblings (2), parents (2) and atleast
2 friends. Along with 200,000 teachers (one from each of the 200,000 schools), over 10
crore people will be impacted by this initiative.
To qualify for the Paryavaran Mitra status, a student must participate in one activity in each
of the five areas: waste management, biodiversity & greening, energy, water, culture &
heritage. All five areas are of great importance to the Indian Himalayan Region.
• Water is a critical issue as glaciers are retreating, thereby, increasing the likelihood of
flashfloods, landslides and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs).
• Waste management, a consequence of unsustainable tourism activities in the Himalayas,
is another area of great concern.
• Himalayan biodiversity is under threat due to climate change impacts: increased
temperatures, dry spells, high intensity rainfall, pest attacks, soil erosion, lack of fodder,
water and pastures for cattle, and habitat loss for wild animals and plant species.
• Forest wood and hydroelectricity are the main sources of energy in the Himalayas. As
snow-melt from the glaciers become irregular and regeneration of forests slows down
considerably, energy availability in the Himalayas will become increasingly unpredictable.
• The cutural heritage of the IHR is also at stake due to urban influence, migration of labor
and loss of traditional livelihood options.
It is, therefore, expected that greater the awareness and intervention levels of children in
each of the five areas, the more positive and sustainable will be the future of the region. A
Paryavaran Mitra student demonstrates environmental leadership qualities through
positive change in behaviour and action at individual, school, family and community levels.
Thus every Paryavaran Mitra student becomes a change agent for sustainability
(http://paryavaranmitra.in/).
The Paryavaran Mitra program is being implemented in the IHR by CEE Hiimalaya. CEE
Himalaya is an initiative of the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), a national
institution established in 1984. CEE Himalaya was launched in the year 2002 to strengthen
environmental education and communication interventions towards sustainable
development in the fragile mountain ecosystems of the Indian Himalayan region. The
organisation promotes environmental awareness and support for sustainable development
in the fragile mountain ecosystems of the Indian Himalayan region
(http://www.ceehimalaya.org/).
IMD was observed by CEE Himalaya as part of their Paryavaran Mitra program at two
schools in Kashmir. The two schools, Baby’s Land Public School, Wakura, Ganderbal District
and Govt. Girls’ Middle School Botingoo Sopore, Baramulla District hosted IMD celebrations
on 10th December, 2011 (11th December being a Sunday). Both programs were of four
hours duration and were attended by boys, girls and several teachers.
Figure 1 Students at Baby’s Land Public School IMD Celebrations
Sixty-five students in the age range of 12 to 15 years belonging to standards 7, 8, 9 and 10
attended the event at Baby’s Land Public School, along with seven teachers. The program
commenced at 12:30pm with an introduction of CEE Himalaya and the Paryavaran Mitra
program. This was followed by the screening of “Planet Earth - Mountains”, an
internationally acclaimed documentary related to mountains and forests, narrated by
David Attenborough and produced by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The film,
interpreted in Urdu for easy comprehension, educated the children about the origin of
mountains, their importance to local livelihoods, wildlife, forests and environmental
threats. It also depicted the lives of the Himlayan Bear, Snow Leopard and Black Eagle – the
dominant fauna species of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Enthusiastic discussions and
debates ensued. The children were highly motivated by what they had seen in the film and
raised several questions regarding habitat threats to Himalayan fauna, conservation
strategies and the economic condition of the country.
An extempore session centred around issues of mountains, forests and their importance in
the communities’ livelihoods was also organised. One student talked about how local grass
species are in the danger of becoming extinct due to increased agricultural actitivies, pest
attacks (especially daily Locust attacks on paddy fields from the western part of the state,
the Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir region) and invasion by exotic tree species such as Black
Locust. Another student talked about how Saussarea, a medicinal plant found in abundance
in the past, was being destroyed due to lack of awareness amongst forest dwellers. They
also stated that the Kashmir Stag was under severe threat due to habitat loss, overgrazing
by livestock and poaching. Other students posed counter-questions to which answers were
provided either by the students themselves or by the CEE Himalaya team. Some of the
questions asked by them were: “Why should we in Kashmir celebrate International
Mountain Day when it is decided by the General Assembly of UN – a foreign agency?”, “The
importance of mountains apart from timber and non-timber products.” and “Cost-benefit
analysis of programmes like International Mountain Day”.
The children also shared their views regarding climate change impacts in the Valley. They
tried to compare the recent phenomenon of flashfloods and decreased snowfall with the
Kashmir of the past. According to some, the onset of snowfall had been delayed in the
recent years from early December to early January. They had also observed that the
surrounding snow-covered mountains that they were used to for seven months in a year,
now lasted barely four months.
A quiz contest comprising ten multiple-choice questions on the importance of local flora &
fauna and global climate change issues was then conducted. Some questions were: “The
most favored tree species by sheep (Bheru)…”, “Most of the human intervention in Kashmir
is because of which animal?”, and “Chinar is a world renowed…?” Most students scored
well, with a majority scoring over 70% marks. This shows high potential among students
from rural schools.
The ratio of boys and girls being almost equal, prizes were awarded to three members of
each group, on the basis of their performance in the extempore and quiz contests.
Prizes were handed over and certificates duly signed by CEE Himalaya and counter signed
by Mr. Farooq Ahmed, Principal, Baby’s Land Public School. Refreshments were also
provided to all participants. The principal was very happy to be part of the event and
expressed his wish to be involved in similar programs in the future as well.
The IMD celebrations at Govt. Girls’ Middle School Botingoo Sopore, Baramulla District was
attended by sixty students from standards 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the host school as well as from a
neighboring private school, along with a few teachers. The program commenced at
10.30am with an introductory talk by Ms. Sibghat-un-nisa, CEE Himalaya team, about the
beauty and value of the surrounding mountains, the concept of IMD and the need for the
people of Kashmir to recognise this day.
A twenty-minute quiz competition based on this year’s IMD slogan Mountain And Forests
was conducted and 40 students participated in it. They were provided with a question
paper, pencil, sharpener and eraser each. Some questions of the quiz were: “Hangul is
endemic to…”, “Which of these national parks is in Jammu and Kashmir?”, “Which is the
largest freshwater lake in the Asia?”, “Which of these is a green house gas?”, “The state bird
of Jammu and Kashmir?” etc. The quiz was followed by a talk by Mr. Riyaz Ahmad Mir, CEE
Himalaya team, about issues of encroachment of forests, deforestation and road
construction in the fragile ecosystems of the surrounding mountains of Sopore. He cited the
example of Botingoo, a neighboring mountain village, which was previously known as “the
heaven of flora and fauna”, but is now in a pathetic state. He also spoke about the medicinal
values of trees.
An oath-taking ceremony was the highlight of the event where students repeated the
following with the CEE Himalaya team: We will be more respectful towards our forests
and wildlife and save these from destruction.
Another interactive session, this time by Mr. Abbas Ahmad, teacher of GMS Botingoo,
followed. He emphasised that forests and wildlife habitat had been damamged extensively
in the surrounding mountains and that this was resulting in increased man-animal
conflicts. The children asked about the recent rise in causalities and loss of crops due to wild
animals like the Himalayan Bear and Leopard. They opined that a decrease in forest area,
shifting cultivation patterns, rising population and decrease in food sources for animals are the
major factors leading to such conflicts. They also felt that since honey extraction from forests
had increased manifold times, it was luring bears into areas inhabited by humans. Moreover,
overgrazing and overexploitation of forest fodder had impacted the prey population of leopards
as well.
The children also spoke about how they were being encouraged and inspired by the
celebration IMD to save mountains and forests of the area. An extempore speech
competition for students’ views on wildlife in forests, environment, global warming,
conservation of biodiversity and importance of mountains was held and monitored by
teachers. One of the students spoke about the importance of tourism to the economy of the
state. She felt that in the recent years militancy had deterred tourists from venturing into the
state. However, the loss of tourism activities, a major source of revenue for Jammu & Kashmir,
had steered the state government towards increased focus on framing effective recreation and
ecotourism policies. She also pointed out that mass tourism was generating pollution (as tourists
drive SUVs) and non-biodegradable waste.
Both activies led to very informative discussions and saw the participation of most
students. Prizes were distributed for the two contests separately.
Mr. Ghulam Nabi Malla, Principal, GMS Botingoo, gave away the prizes. Refreshments
comprising fruits and sweets were served to all the participants. The program was a
success with participants eager to share their learnings of the day with their families and
friends, and also to put into practice all that had learnt.The program concluded with a
group photograph and requests to the CEE Himalaya team to conduct more of such
programs.
Celebrating IMD with school children in the Indian Himalayan Region is an important
exercise as it reinforces the understanding that the mountains are a repository of life,
nature, spiritualism and the lifeline of present and future generations. It is necassary for
children of the region to understand that their communitites, livelihoods, homes, schools
and local surroundings are under grave threat. It is also important that they realise that any
adverse impact on the environment will have repercussions in the people’s social, cultural,
economic and political lives. Moreover, the Himalayan ecosystem supports not just life on
the mountains but also lowlands across the country. This inheritance is in danger today,
and children being the future leaders of our nation, it is imperative that they address the
perils of the Indian Himalayan Region and envision a ‘green’ future for our nation.
Figure 2 Students, Teachers and the CEE Himalaya Team at Govt. Girls’ Middle School